E-text prepared by Sankar Viswanathan, David Edwards, and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by Internet Archive (http://www.archive.org) Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file which includes the original illustrations. See 31763-h.htm or 31763-h.zip: (https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/31763/pg31763-images.html) or (https://www.gutenberg.org/files/31763/31763-h.zip) Images of the original pages are available through Internet Archive. See http://www.archive.org/details/fairytalesirish00yeatrich IRISH FAIRY TALES Edited With an Introduction by W. B. YEATS Author of 'The Wanderings of Oisin,' Etc. Illustrated by Jack B. Yeats [Illustration: "PLAYING AWAY ON THE PIPES AS MERRILY AS IF NOTHING HAD HAPPENED." (_Page_ 48.)] London T. Fisher Unwin 1892 _WHERE MY BOOKS GO._ _All the words that I gather, And all the words that I write, Must spread out their wings untiring, And never rest in their flight, Till they come where your sad, sad heart is, And sing to you in the night, Beyond where the waters are moving, Storm darkened or starry bright._ _W. B. YEATS._ LONDON, _January 1892_. CONTENTS PAGE INTRODUCTION 1 LAND AND WATER FAIRIES THE FAIRIES' DANCING-PLACE 13 THE RIVAL KEMPERS 17 THE YOUNG PIPER 32 A FAIRY ENCHANTMENT 49 TEIGUE OF THE LEE 53 THE FAIRY GREYHOUND 69 THE LADY OF GOLLERUS 77 EVIL SPIRITS THE DEVIL'S MILL 95 FERGUS O'MARA AND THE AIR-DEMONS 112 THE MAN WHO NEVER KNEW FEAR 123 CATS SEANCHAN THE BARD AND THE KING OF THE CATS 141 OWNEY AND OWNEY-NA-PEAK 151 KINGS AND WARRIORS THE KNIGHTING OF CUCULAIN 185 THE LITTLE WEAVER OF DULEEK GATE 195 APPENDIX CLASSIFICATION OF IRISH FAIRIES 223 AUTHORITIES ON IRISH FOLKLORE 234 INTRODUCTION AN IRISH STORY-TELLER